The Final Race
by Lane Farrell
Summary: This is not an exact parallel to the text but follows the general idea of the story. It's an original idea that takes it's own route. I'm much further along then what I have posted but depending on reviews I'll decide if I should keep going, thanks!
1. Chapter 1

**1.________________**

A princess, a bakers son, arrogant knights, desperate feats, broken hearts, choices made, games played and true love. Those are the pieces that make up the puzzle that is me, and here is my story.

***

I woke up and looked out the window, golden rays of sunshine flooded into my room. It was another beautiful day and I would most likely be stuck in my room doing whatever menial task my father asked of me.

Linda, my maid, came in and asked, "What would you like to wear today?"

"Linda, I'll be fine. You can leave, I would really like some time to myself. I'm going down to the bakery for breakfast if you need me, good day."

She quietly slid out the door when I dismissed her. I hauled myself out of bed and walked over to my mahogany cabinet, opening the dark wooden doors. Today seemed cool and crisp, probably a good day to go horseback riding if I could manage to escape. Just in case I pulled out my black riding breeches and my favorite green tunic that was lined in a gold fringe. I looked in the mirror and decided that it would work, then braided my fiery red hair down my back.

My stomach growled and I realized that I had not had anything to eat since lunch yesterday. For breakfast most mornings I go down to the bakery where my friend Peter always bakes my favorite muffin, blueberry, steaming hot and ready for me to eat.

I opened up the door and left my room with a newfound spring in my step. The hallway was dim with mornings first light. Morning has always been my favorite time of day. It's the start of a new day, and a start of countless opportunities. The first bit of sunshine that peaks over the mountains always cast a gorgeous light on the beautifully furnished halls. But it also reminds me of how I'm never destined to lead a normal life. I'll always have somebody's footsteps to fill. My father knows how I feel but he always reminds me that I'm lucky to be here. Sometimes I just find myself dreaming of a normal life.

I passed by the huge glass windows that overlook the castle courtyard, it seemed quite busy this morning. Many people were hustling and bustling about. In the corner of the yard I saw my favorite shop, the bakery. This motivated me and I hurried down the steps. Food was sounding better and better, and my stomach was voicing the same opinions. It's growling seemed audible over everything.

I came out of the front doors and walked into the courtyard passing many friendly faces who I had never seen before, but of course they had seen me. Everybody knew me – well, not really me. They knew my father. This got me so much attention it made me sick. Everybody was always smiling and happy asking me what they could do to help.

I kept walking and saw the familiar sign that read: _Stephan's Fresh Food Bakery. _This immediately made me feel at home, I could smell the fresh pastries wafting though the air.

Walking up to the door I noticed someone was already there holding it open. Peter... He was waiting for me _again_ to hold the door. Sometimes I wonder why other knights could not be more like him. Chivalry still survives in the most remote places.

"Good morning, Peter," I called out, trying to be pleasant.

"Hey, Emma, I've got your breakfast ready."

"Thanks."

He shut the door behind me and I sat down at the same table we normally ate at right next to my favorite window. It had a perfect view over the castle walls to the stables. Most mornings my two horses, Kicker and Lucy, graze there.

Peter came up with a plate carrying my favorite breakfast, his specially baked blueberry muffins. Nothing could beat them, not even Mrs. Key's caramel apple tarts. He sat down, putting the tray in front of me. He seemed to be in an extra good mood today.

"What happened, Peter? You look so excited."

"Well, to start, it's a beautiful day, and secondly, a lovely young lady just came in and sat down at her favorite table with me."

"Flattering, and you never give up. I will give you that."

"That's something you can count on. So... I was wondering," he looked down, shying away from my gaze.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

I really wasn't surprised. I had been expecting something of the sort for a while now. We had been having breakfast together for a few weeks. He really is a good guy, I just wasn't sure about the _dating_ thing. It seems so hard... not to mention awkward. Well, maybe we could go as friends.

"Um... I think would be nice. So are we going as friends or..."

"I was thinking," he paused. The butterflies in my stomach got worse when I didn't think it was physically possible.

"That we could have a date." He looked out the window, uncertain of himself. There was no way I was going to undermine his confidence with rejection; I knew it would break his heart. So I gave in.

"Well, we should meet here in two days time at sunset," I said between mouthfuls. "Then we can grab something out of the kitchen and go eat."

"That sounds great! My dad is calling so I have to go – I can't wait to see you then!"

He bounded out of his seat, took my plate, and headed back to the kitchen. I got up and started to walk away. Looking over my shoulder, I saw something that made my cheeks blush scarlet. He was looking at me and caught my gaze. His face lit up into the sweetest smile, my favorite smile. His eyes light up and his dimples show on his rosy cheeks. Swiftly, I turned my gaze away and headed to the door. If I had stayed longer, he was sure to see my smile in return.


	2. Chapter 2

2._____________

My heart was fluttering as I headed out into the courtyard. How could this happen to me? I had promised my father I would stay away from all men until I came of age. Whenever I spent time with Peter I forgot everything, he was so easy to talk to. Time flew by naturally with him; it felt like we could talk for hours about something as simple as the weather.

I kept walking. When I saw him, my heart sunk like a stone in my stomach. Just my luck. I would happen to be walking through the courtyard when he came, Jonathan. I have heard all about him, my father was constantly warning me to watch out for people like this. The obnoxious, arrogant, cocky people of the world. The people like Jonathan. He was just dubbed a knight and there was not a person alive who did not know it. Everywhere he went, that was the first thing he said. He would puff out his chest and stand erect, using his deepest voice he would announce,_ "You are now speaking with Sir Jonathan, what do you have to say?" _I seemed to be the only person that he treated with any respect, besides my father of course. This bothered me to no end, I wish just once that someone would treat me like I was not royalty, just a normal human being. Just a girl.

Finally he noticed me standing there, staring like an idiot in his direction. I hated how I froze up when I got nervous. He surely was going to come and speak to me now. As predicted, he started to march over. Ugh... He already was eyeing me in a way I did not want to think about. He looked at me like a trophy – that drove me insane. I was the prize.

"So what is a fair lady like you doing walking about the courtyard by yourself this morning?" he asked arrogantly.

"If you feel the need to know, this _girl_ is getting her breakfast." I emphasized the word _girl_. Just a girl.

"That really is too bad, I was hoping you would join me for breakfast. Dinner will have to make do instead; you don't have plans tonight."

The audacity of him to assume that I did not have plans tonight! It made me furious, I glared up at him focusing with all my might on staring daggers. Who knows, maybe looks could kill. I figured it was about time to find out.

My eyes bored into his. "And if I do have plans tonight?" I was careful to keep my voice nonchalant. He didn't need to know how angry I was, it would only add to his large ego. I seriously contemplated how much trouble I would be in for ripping his head off...

"Plans? You are a young lady, and who else here is worthy of you? Most all the young knights have been called to the capital, leaving me the only one here to spend your leisure time with, correct?" He said the last part as a statement not a question. That made me even more furious then before. He had pushed my last button. So much for holding back.

"For your information," I hissed, "I do have plans tonight; I will be having dinner with Peter." I spit the last word in his face, it did not seem to phase him.

"Why on earth would you spend time with that _horrid_ boy?" Jonathan asked incredulously. "He is a _baker's_ son." He made _baker's son_ it sound like some sort of curse.

"He is a sincere, kind and funny boy. Three things that _somebody_ has obviously learned nothing of."

"What?" he demanded. "You don't think that I am a good enough man to spend your time with?"

"No, as a matter of fact I do not. Oh, and did I forget to tell you?" I asked innocently. I recovered my mask of calm, uncaring self-control. "Peter and I are going to go have lunch and a morning ride together. He said that he enjoys spending time outdoors."

"Like I do not? He is a peasant's son, he's probably never ridden a horse in his life."

"I am leaving now to go get ready, our time is up," I said crisply. "I am thrilled you care so much for me that you would check who I spend my time with. Thank you again and good day." I spun on my heel, walking away as I finished my dismissal.

"How dare he," I muttered under my breath. "Damn knight, thinks he owns me. Won't he be in for a surprise?" I chuckled under my breath.

I pretended to be walking back to the castle until Jonathan was out of sight and then swung back to the bakery. I came back through the red wooden door and went to the kitchen counter.

"How can I help you, Emma?" Peter's father, Stephen, asked.

"I have already had breakfast, but would you be as kind to let Peter go on a morning ride with me?" Putting on my best please-give-me-what-I-want face I added, "Don't tell Peter, I really enjoy spending time with him... So if you wouldn't mind?" He understood my not so discreet signal.

"Sure, sure," he eagerly agreed. "I will tell him to get cleaned up and pack some food."

I nodded my head in thanks, then he ducked into the kitchen. To pass the time waiting on him, I sat down on the old plaid couch. Its soft cushions sank under my weight.

I remembered that Peter did not know about today's _surprise trip._ For some reason, I doubted he would mind. I looked around the room and took in the familiar sight I cherished. The red wooden door with the peeling paint and the small heart shaped window that has a permanently foggy covering on it. Then the deep brown wooden counter with the glass show case for fresh pastries. Beside it, everybody ordered their food. The tables scattered about all had freshly picked daisies on them each morning. Some had two chairs and others four. My favorite table was right beside a big open window that overlooked the stables. It had two chairs, one for me and one for Peter. Each morning we had breakfast there. I was wondering what was taking him so long to get ready, finally he showed up.

He looked thrilled as he leaped through the door. "So what are we doing today? My dad said that I had the day off, thanks for that!"

"I was thinking that we should go on a ride. You _can_ ride, right?" Peter opened his mouth but the look of fear written on his face answered my question. I cut him off, "Don't answer that. If you don't know, I can teach you. You grabbed us some lunch, right? We will probably want to eat something, it could be a long morning."

"Yeah, I grabbed _us_ some fresh pumpkin bread, ham slices, and milk. Is that enough?"

The way he said _us _made my hear flutter. "Sure, that sounds great. I love everything you and your dad bake here." I laughed, "I don't think anything I've ever been disappointed."

He gave a mock bow and blew kisses to an imaginary crowd, "Thank you, thank you very much. I will be here all week for your baked good needs."

I laughed in the careless way only Peter could pull out of me. "I hope you will stick around longer then a week." This made him blush. He was so sweet and modest. "Come on," I said lighting up the conversation. "If you leave where would I go for breakfast every morning?"

"Well, if you put it like that, I guess I can't leave, can I?"

"Of course not, now can we get started? Let's head out to the stables." I walked over to the door. Of course, Peter hurried in front of me to open it, always the _gentlemen._

"Ladies first," he said, pushing the door open. I rolled my eyes and walked through.

There were only a handful of people left in the courtyard, obviously stragglers that were going to be late to work. One was lying sprawled on his back in front of the local bar with a spirit bottle in hand. It looked like he had had a long night.

When we got to the road that leads to the front gate I pulled Peter to the side and made my way to a small ally between two stores.

"Where are we going?" he demanded. "The only way out is through the front gates and this is not them," he persisted, motioning to the blank gray wall we had arrived at.

"I know. If you would be patient..." I said walking up to a stone that protruded a small bit from the wall. "You would see what I am trying to show you."

I put my hand on the stone that stuck out from the wall and pushed my body weight against the door to make it budge. With a groan, the door slid open inch by inch. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard listening to the screeching sound the stone made. With one final shove, it was open. I let Peter through and then followed behind.

"I'll close it, can't be too hard."

He placed his hand on the stone protruding from the opposite direction, he leant his whole weight into the rock, grunting with the effort. There were no results, so he shoved harder. Sweating bullets, he finally got the door to slide shut. Well, sliding is not an adequate way to describe it. That is much too graceful a word for the jerky movement I was witnessing. After watching him for a few minutes, I decided it was time to help.

"Here," I said shoving him out of the way, "this is how a real woman does it." I leaned in and gave the door a small shove. That did it – the door bumped the last little way in, completely shut.

I turned around to see Peter gazing at me in dropped jaw awe.

"How did you do that?" He asked drawing out each word, he could not seem to wrap his mind around the fact a girl had just outshone him in a physical endeavor.

"Easy," I said, casually walking down the dirt road. "Practice makes perfect."

"So you do this often," he assumed.

"You could say that."

We started up the hill that led to the stable. It sat on top of a green hill in the middle of an open field. The barn was as bright as an apple with white stripes bordering the doors and windows. I came up to the large front door and slid it open; the smell of fresh hay, oats and horse washed over me like a wave. This instantly made me feel at home, I loved everything about the barn. It was my home away from home, my happy place.

"Are you ready to ride?" I asked.

"Not really," he admitted. "The only time I have ridden before was a small pony, I was very young, and..." he trailed off.

"What? It can't be that bad."

"Actually, it can. I was riding a very small pony – it probably would not be as tall as my hip now. Everything went well for a while, then I swear to you, that little pony bucked sky high and, well... I went higher," he paused. "Please don't laugh," he begged.

I stifled my laughter, a smile was still playing at the corners of my lips. "Of course not, there is absolutely nothing funny hearing about how a pony the size of a rat launched you sky high. No," I finished sarcastically, grinning at him. "Most definitely not funny."

"Ha ha, you're hilarious. Well, lets get on with this if we're going. We _are_ going, right?" He looked at me hopefully, as if I would let him out of this one.

"Yes, obviously we are going. How else do you expect for us to get away from the castle? Walk?"

"Well, actually, that's not too bad, walking is always nice and-"

"Stop your groveling and be a man. We are going, and you are going to deal with it. I promise it won't be terrible, you might even have some fun."

I headed to the back of the long row of stalls, looking for my black stallion, Kicker. He was in his stall, second from the back. He put his head over the wooden door to nuzzle my shoulder. He is a huge black work horse, but for being so big, he is such a baby.

I took his black leather halter, then opened up the door and slipped it behind his ears. Smugly, I thought about how Peter was in for a surprise. He probably was not expecting this. I led him through the stall door and walked back to where Peter was standing by to the wire cabinets that held the grooming brushes. I brought Kicker over and tied his lead rope, attached to his halter, onto a thick metal rung. This way Peter didn't have to worry about Kicker escaping while he brushed him.

"Here are the brushes," I pointed to the wire rack holding the brushes of all shapes and sizes. "Clean him up and I'll be back."

"W-wait," he stuttered as I walked away. I turned around to see that his face was blanch. "Do you mean I am to ride this?" He pointed up at my boy, Kicker, like he was a monstrosity.

"Well, of course," I said. "You would not enjoy my other steed nearly as much, quite a view from Kicker that Lucy could never give you." The corners of my lips twitched up into a smile yet again, "I would hate for you to miss that. It really is something, feels like you're a mile high." His face fell even more than I thought possible, so I decided I had scared him enough. "Don't worry, you'll be fine," I reassured him with a final glance and jogged off to get my other horse, Lucy.

She was already peering around the edge of her window waiting on me. She chuckled deep in her throat by way of greeting.

"Hey, Lucy," I crooned, patting her nose. She playfully nudged it aside, her personality was astounding. It seemed to have no limits. Sometimes I swear she could understand what I said. I grabbed her brown leather halter and went into her stall to get her. I still marveled over her splendor. She is of average height and has a magnificent chestnut coat that gleams in the sunlight. Her tail, mane, and forelock are all thick and soft as silk. I love every bone in her body.

After slipping the halter over her head, I went back to see how Peter was managing. To my surprise, he seemed to be whispering in Kicker's ear as he brushed his face off. They looked like a young children whispering secrets about there next big adventure. The previous fear in his eyes had all but vanished, replaced by something I couldn't name. It was a mix of happiness, awareness and possibly even friendship. This was something I had thought to be impossible, but he very obviously had proved me wrong.

"Wow, I'm impressed. Kicker looks great, you cleaned him up nicely." His face beamed with pride at my observation, he was pleased. I waved my hand towards Lucy, "This is my other horse, Lucy. I will be riding her today."

"She is something," he said looking her over. Then confusion washed over his features and I wondered what he was thinking. I did not have to wait long before he asked me, "So are we riding with a saddle? I think that I would fall off if I tried otherwise."

This made me laugh. "Don't worry, you are definitely not ready to ride bareback yet. I'll go and grab our tack now. While I do, would you mind brushing off Lucy for me?"

"Sure," he said eagerly. I could tell he was enjoying this. I went to the closet stall on the right where we kept our saddles, bridles and other important tack. I grabbed a rather large saddle for Peter; I knew Kicker could handle it. It seemed to weigh a ton as I picked it up and slung it over my arm along with his bridle and girth. I lugged it out to Peter. He took the girth and bridle from me and then I placed the saddle on Kicker's back. He didn't even flinch under the weight of it – his strength astounded me even though I have seen him carry much heavier loads.

"Peter, the girth please." He handed it to me and I attached it tightly to both sides of the saddle so there was no chance it could slip off. Then I went back to the tack room to get my saddle and bridle. The saddle I use for Lucy is much lighter, and made of tanned leather. I grabbed a girth and her artfully crafted bridle. I shrugged under the weight of it, even though it was not nearly as heavy as the other. I stumbled to Lucy, her coat was gleaming. Peter had done a fantastic job of cleaning her up; she looked as though she had just been given an extensive bath.

"Thank you for cleaning her up, Peter, " I said as I sat the saddle lightly on her back, "she looks great, you really have a natural sense of horsemanship."

"Thanks, this isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, almost enjoyable." He got that nervous look in his eyes again, "But I'm still not so sure about the riding part."

"Don't worry, it will be easy. Kicker really seems to like you, and that will make it even better. And don't forget, I will be there if you need any help." I nodded my head at him and he smiled. Oh... my mind went blank. How could I think when he smiled, it was the face of an angel.

"Uh... Emma, snap out of it," he said snapping his finger in front of my face.

"Oh, sorry." I pulled out of my day dream and grabbed the bridle. "Let me put that on for you," I said, slipping the bridle over Kicker's velvety charcoal ears. Then I slipped the reins over his neck. "You can go ahead and walk him out the back door, I'll meet you there." With that, he steered Kicker away. I quickly finished putting on the bridle and followed the trail of dusty footsteps. Then I slid through the door and was dazzled by the beautiful sight. It was autumn, so all the leaves were changing from their gorgeous, lively greens to more subtle tones of gold and crimson. The valley stretched ahead for a solid mile and then was cut off by the breathtaking forest that now looked like a waterfall of colors.

Peter must have noticed me admiring the woods. "They sure are something, aren't they? It looks like every tree is a dot, a dot that is only a small part of the portrait. The thousands of dots are all different colors and they all come together to make one big picture, don't they?"

"They do," I agreed, he really had a way with words. "Well, watch what I do, it's time we get started. I raised my foot to the stirrup hanging down from the side of my saddle, then picked up my reins in my left hand and swung my leg up and over the saddle, landing softly on Lucy's back. "Your turn," I added cheerfully, this could be entertaining. I looked at him expectantly and he knew what I thought was coming – a wipeout. My look said everything, but to my surprise he yet again proved me wrong. He picked his foot up to reach the stirrup and slid it right in, then grabbed the reins and slung himself over. It wasn't graceful as I, but it still stunned me into silence. It took me years to be able to do what he had completed on his first try.

He gave me a smug look, "Good enough?"

"Oh, don't rub it in," I muttered and started to walk towards the trail at the end of the field. He quickly caught up; it could not have been hard considering his horse was a full two feet taller then mine.

"This really isn't that bad, and man you were right about the view, thanks," he smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, you can say whatever you want. Now if I say on the count of three we are going to have a race to the big oak tree at the end of the field and you win, then _that_ would be something. Better hold on tight! Three... Two..." I paused, "ONE!" I yelled, and started off galloping through the field. I could imagine his face behind me now, wondering how I could leave him in the dust his first time on a real horse. A huge stallion at that. This may be an unfair race, but feeling Lucy's stride open under me felt amazing. The adrenaline was pumping though my veins and the wind ripped through my hair. I glanced over my shoulder and was surprised to see that Kicker was on my tail with Peter crouched lightly over his neck, urging him on. There was no way he was going to win, not his first time riding a real horse. I kicked Lucy firmly and then clucked in her ear, she knew exactly what I wanted and leapt ahead. It seemed like we had only been galloping for mere seconds when the path materialized before us. To my satisfaction, Peter was struggling a good bit behind me. He had lost a stirrup and was practically hanging off one side of his horse. This sent me into a fit of giggles. Finally, he couldn't be good at everything.

Head held low, he sulked, "I don't see what you think is so funny. Losing my stirrup was terrifying. Must I remind you that I have never ridden before in my life? Or are you determined to make me look like a fool?"

"You have been perfect at everything so far; I had to see when you were going to mess up." Shockingly, he didn't look mad; I think he actually looked pleased. I guessed he had taken it as a complement, and he confirmed my assumption.

"Thanks, I've never been naturally gifted at anything. I have worked hard to gain the skills I have. It is great knowing that I can do something."

"You're welcome, we will have to come back out later." This made his eyes light up with an optimistic flare. "Kicker really likes you, too," he pricked up his ears and whinnied in response. "See what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do. So where are you planning on kidnapping me to today?"

"Well, I had a couple ideas. We probably only have enough time to visit one of them today, so the other two are just going to have to wait until later."

"You said later, didn't you?"

That didn't make sense to me. "Yeah, why?"

"Later as in, _we are going on another ride together later_?"

"Yes, you didn't think you could get rid of me after one day, did you?"

He laughed, "Quite the opposite – I didn't think I could even get you for one day."

"Good thing you thought wrong," I smiled. "Why did you think I wouldn't give you a chance? Because you're the _baker's son_, right?"

"Well, yeah. You live in the castle and I live in the village huts. The two don't even begin to compare."

"Good thing there is no comparing going on, then," I said. "There is you and there is me. Two people, nothing more and nothing less."

"Thanks, Emma," he said, playing with a piece of Kicker's mane. I could tell he was using it to calm his nerves, "I just love every minute I spend with you, it feels strangely right." We had been talking for a while under the trees, I noticed the sun was rising higher in the sky.

"Better get going if we are going to make it to one of my spots for lunch." I laughed, "Would you really let a girl beat you again?"

"I guess we'll have to see," he was grinning as he accepted the challenge. "It is a good idea though, we should probably try to get back before night fall. The howling from the woods at night always gives me cold chills. Sometimes I even have nightmares about the coyotes and wolves. Rumor is a small child went missing. Alison was her name. They thought she had been wandering in the woods. These two boys were hunting in the area and brought back her mutilated bloody corpse. " I could tell this was a touchy subject for him, his eyes began to glisten with tear drops I knew he would try his hardest not to shed. Either way, it depressed me to hear about this and see how upset it made him.

"All the more reason to hurry," I said turning to face the dirt path. I breathed deeply in and out then raised my chin to Peter who gave me a reassuring nod. This gave me hope and I headed into the woods to face whatever fate may chose to bring us.


	3. Chapter 3

3._______________

"I don't see how you do this," Peter whined. "My legs are killing me. There is no hope for me being able to get out of bed tomorrow."

"If you don't get out of bed, then where am I going to go get breakfast?"

"Somewhere, anywhere, I'll even have my dad bake some muffins for you," he said with a dramatic groan.

"Fine then, miss breakfast. You are still coming with me to see another one of my spots tomorrow for lunch."

"Sure, but one condition. If I my legs hurt as bad as they do now, then we're walking."

"Thats okay if you don't mind being gone for a good two days."

"Wait, how far away are we going?"

"I will tell you one thing, the spot we are going to today is a good four miles away."

"Oh, thats not terrible." He grinned to himself, "Knowing you I was expecting something... more."

"Something _more_ you say?"

"Well, you always seem to be full of surprises and that seems so _normal_." He said the word normal like it was a bad thing. If he only knew... I dream about normality.

"Then we will have to make this more _interesting, _catch me if you can," I yelled over my shoulder as I cantered away. In a couple of seconds he had caught up and we were moving together, side by side, perfectly in sync. Kicker to my surprise was being a saint, I thought by now he would have tried to send Peter flying.

His face was lit up with excitement, "This is great," he called, attempting to yell over the sound of the wind flying around us. "I can't believe you almost talked me out of this!"

"It is exhilarating, isn't it?"

After that we rode on in companionable silence. The brown tree trunks got thicker and thicker the farther down the path and into the forest we went. Above us it looked like a beautiful mural was painted on the tree leaf ceiling. All the colors blended together into ideal form. The branches looked like a spider web, weaving intricate patterns of brown that rivaled with the colorful beauty of the leaves.

The path continued on and we made it to the first bend. The dirt path came to a close and we slowed down to a walk. "This way," I said motioning to a small gap in the trees. We went through it and came to a wide shallow stream that gurgled a symphony of sound. The water lapped up onto the few small rocks scattered about. "We're going to cross the stream and go to that path on the other side, don't worry about Kicker he'll be fine." With that I headed off and I could hear Peter and Kicker splashing noisily though the stream behind me. Lucy hardly stirred the water, she is much more graceful then Kicker could ever hope to be.

"That wasn't so bad," Peter said looking relieved as he made it back to the path and dry land.

"Follow me," I said and took off cantering again, this time down a grass pathway between a canopy of overhanging willow trees. It very obviously was man-made, you could see the severed branches that were cut back to open the path.

"Are we there yet?"

"No," I said curtly, "remember patience. I promise it will be worth it in the end."

The path curved this way and that then finally cleared out of the trees. It went straight across a huge meadow. I considered stopping here and not going to one of my spots today but that thought came in one ear and out the other. I felt the wind sweep over me as Peter urged Kicker to a full gallop within a few strides. The phrase, _leaving you in the dust_, very literally applied to me now. Before he could get too far ahead I nudged Lucy with a solid leg and she shot off like an arrow out of a tightly stretched bow. I held on tight to make sure the sudden burst of speed would not catch me off guard, and then we were off. Peter was already a good way ahead of me following the path directly, what he didn't know was that the path curved around the edge of the field. Typically I won't play dirty, but considering the surprise start of this race it didn't phase me. I took off straight down the center of the field to the point his path would lead him to. Before long I could feel Lucy starting to tire beneath me, I asked her lightly with my heel to keep it up. She used her last reserve of strength and blasted ahead. The tables had turned, he definitely did not appreciate that, I could here him moan in defeat behind me. When I reached the path below a towering pine tree I slowed down to a walk. A few moments later, Peter thundered in behind me.

"Not fair," he panted, out of breath from the race. Huffing and puffing for a couple minutes longer he finally seemed to catch his breath again. "Cheater," he muttered.

"I thought it was ladies first?"

"Yeah, yeah whatever... Lets get on with this I'm starved."

"Okay as long as your ready to go," I smiled triumphantly. "Caught your breath yet? I would hate for you to pass out on me." I grinned.

"Don't rub it in, this way right?" he asked, gesturing to the path.

"Yes, don't forget," I said walking in front of him towards the path, "Ladies first."


	4. Chapter 4

4._________________

"Are we there yet?" Peter begged for the hundredth time this morning.

"Almost," I promised. We really were close, I could hear the sound of water crashing into a river. I walked up the last part of the path and peered around the edge of a large holly bush.

Peter came around the other side of me and I saw him gasp in shock, just like I had the first time I witnessed this extravagant sight. I gave him time to take it all in. It still amazed me, I looked up at the rock ledge that the water from the river plummeted down over. It looked like a billion shining crystals sliding down a sheet of silk. What made this waterfall such a unique find was the color of the water. It was tinted a light purple during this time of day. That is due to the rock behind which the water falls. Solid amethyst. Part of the reason I had never shown this to anybody else, so many people I know would not admire the beauty, they would covet the wealth. Amethyst is a rare find in our area, many people would give an arm and a leg to know where this was. It is the most amazing, breath taking experience watching the water plummet down from a mountainous hight. Finally Peter seemed to come to his senses again.

"This is amazing, I have never seen something so beautiful in my life. This looks like it belongs in a fairy tale, I would not be surprised if I saw a unicorn walk out of the bushes to take a sip of water then fly away on wings. Anything could happen here, I feel like I should be walking on clouds, or maybe this is heaven. I guess it could be, I mean this is beautiful and your here with me. What else could I ask for?"

"Some food? I don't know about you but I'm starved." I hopped down off Lucy. She was happy to be relieved of her saddle and bridle. I knew she would not wonder off when I was still here she never left me, the same with Kicker. They seemed to know how far they could rome. Peter had swung his leg over the saddle and dismounted too. I took Kicker's bridle off and Peter pulled his saddle off. We set all the tack on a thick branch of a tree then headed over to a flat grey slate that was set a couple feet above the pond the waterfall drained into. Once I got there I set down my pack. This was my favorite spot, high up overlooking the trees. I wondered if this how birds felt, must be something of the sort. Opening up my pack I grabbed the blanket I had packed for us to eat our meal on and spread it out. The only other items I had brought were some water, bandages and my bow and arrows. Strictly safety precautions, if either of us got hurt or attacked then they could come in handy. I have worked with the bow and arrow for many years, practicing helps me burn off extra energy.

Peter walked over and sat down next to me, leaving some room in the middle of us to put the food down. I leaned back on my hands then stretched my legs out in front of me watching him pull out our meal. It had been a long morning and everything looked fantastic. The creamy milk, savory ham and sweet pumpkin bread looked like they would all complement each other nicely.

Peter pulled out a knife and asked, "How much ham do you want?"

"A slice or two will be fine, thanks. This all looks fantastic!"

"Thanks. Oh, I forgot to grab us some dessert. My dad had made fresh pound cake, I knew you would have loved it, guess I'll just have to bring it next time."

"Sounds good to me." He handed me my ham and bread. I took a massive chunk of ham off and began to chew. It was better then I dreamed possible.

"This is amazing, thanks."

"No problem, I was starved too," he said eyeing my bow and arrow. "Wow, I've never seen a real bow and arrow before, why did you bring it?"

I finished the bite in my mouth then answered, "You never know what could happen, ever since my accident long ago I always leave prepared for the worst. Better safe than sorry."

"That's smart, but I am wondering what happened what happened when you had that _accident."_

"Peter," I said turning to him so that I could look him straight in the eyes. "If I tell you this, you may never, never in your whole life tell anybody." I looked seriously at him, deep into his eyes searching for a honest answer. "So do you swear to not tell anybody what I say? I am not even a hundred percent sure what happened myself that day."

He drew his hand up to his mouth pretending to zip his lips close and toss the key over his shoulder. "Your secret is safe with me, don't worry," he answered confidently.

"Thank you, it would probably be good for me to share what happened with somebody, maybe after talking I will better understand what happened. Just remember, you may never tell anyone this."

"I already promised I wouldn't, I'm a man of my word."

"Something about you really makes me believe that," this had Peter smiling, then I started my story. "It happened about this time last year. I wanted some alone time so I decided a ride would be a good way to achieve it. The stables were already open when I came which was strange, because when I walked in the barn it was deserted. I remember checking over my shoulder time and time again, I could have sworn that I heard somebody else's footsteps behind my own, because every time I heard my foot touch the pavement, I swear a moment after I heard someone else's trying to keep in time with me. Then I would whip around to check the scene, and each time it turned up empty. My heart began to pound in my chest, all of me senses were on over drive. I became dizzy, then room began to spin. Then the corners of my vision were tainted with black spots, I knew it was a matter of seconds until I passed out. A sharp pain seared through my neck, it felt like fire was burning through my veins instead of blood, and then abruptly it all came to a halt."

"You fainted right?"

"Yes," I continued. "Then I woke up in a strange room, everything was solid white from the floor to the ceiling. I toyed with the idea that I had died and gone to heaven. It was instantly gone, I decided that heaven would not be this confusing. I knew that I had taken a brutal hit to the neck but when I raised my hand to examine the skin it was smooth as silk. I stood up and tried to walk away but instantly felt my self get drowsy, I knew I could not manage another step and fell back onto the bed. I was not sure how long it had been but when I woke up I was in a new room. It was heart-breaking how beautiful the room was. But the frustrating thing is, I can't remember a lick of what I saw. All I can remember is the vibrant rainbow of emotions that were playing through my head. Then I heard a voice so angelic it could not belong to anybody on Earth. I wondered if it was God sending me an angel, the voice filled my heart with hope.

It said, "You are living in a dangerous time, Emma the chosen one. I do not know if I will always be there to save you as I have done today. Let me warn you that there is a traitor harbored among your people, so be wary. You are about to weave your vibrant thread through fates loom. It will intertwine with many and at a later day it will face a pivotal point, there you will overcome the evil that you have been trying so hard to defeat or you will perish from this Earth for good. The place you live in is changing, more doorways are opening like the one you came so close to discovering today, they lead to the world you and I are speaking in now. When you fell down after the man struck you, you were close enough within my reach that I could pull you through the gate. Keep your friends close chosen one, evil's hand is at work. The man who harmed you was trying to prohibit you from reaching me. He is not who you thought he was. He comes from a place exactly the opposite of this, it is hells equal. He knows you are going to eventually fulfill the prophecy and reach us on your own. Chosen one, we are facing a great evil oppression here and we need your help. When the time comes you will have to make choices, you will make both good and bad but no choice you make is ever wrong. Some are going to seem trivial, but think. When thinking you can always solve your problems. Be wise, go back, sleep well and when you need me I will be here."

I remember having so many questions but having problems with speech because of how confused I was, this prohibited me from asking them. Then the same feeling came back, it felt as though my vision was slipping away and then I woke up here. On this rock where we sit now." To my surprise I hadn't noticed Peter had wove his fingers through mine sometime during my tale. Hand in hand, it felt so right.

"Now that is an amazing story that many would never believe a word of, but I trust you Emma. I do not doubt a word of it." We sat like that for a while, just looking into each other's eyes. It had a calming effect on me, washing away the fear that telling the story had dredged up from deep inside me.

"So you don't think I'm delusional then?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course I don't," he replied. Kicker snorted and pawed at the ground.

"Guess we should get the horses ready to head back," I said. "It's already getting darker we've been out a lot longer then I planned." I folded up our blanket and stuck it in my pack. He started walking over to the horses and I followed behind. Well... we were walking over to where we had just seen the horses, but there was a slight problem, no horses were there. I automatically started to get panicky, it was late outside and it could take days for us to get back. Uh... how could this happen, plenty of times I had left them alone and for much longer then this. There was absolutely no reason for them to run off, I kicked myself for not keeping an eye on them when we were talking. Peter seemed to stunned to say a word, not that I blamed him. What were we supposed to do?

His head snapped up and looked at the hole in the trees where some large object had obviously crashed through. "Well, I didn't think I was deaf but if Kicker and Lucy could make a hole that big through the trees and we didn't hear it then I question that. Is it possible to become temporarily deaf? I was wrapped up in listening to you but I would think one of us would have heard that." He said pointing to the gaping hole. I agreed completely with him.

"But what are we going to do? If we follow the horses then we could easily get lost, the forest stretches on for eons. Spending the night out here doesn't settle well in my stomach. It's easily a two day trip back on foot."

"What all did you bring in your pack besides a blanket and your bow and arrows?" he asked.

"Just a canteen for water and some bandages, why do you ask?"

"I was thinking about how we could survive on our own long enough to get back. Walking seems like the better answer then chasing the horses down, we have no idea where were going if we follow them, that is much riskier then just heading back."

Tears were starting to well up on the inside of my eyelids. I hated even thinking about abandoning my sweet, kind and loving horses in the wilderness. Some carnivore would be sure to get them by night, that would be devastating. I have spent so much time with them, I always thought they would live to become old and wise with me, then die in a happy place. They would be taken care of their whole lives, I promised them that. Now it was all being ripped away from me. I took a deep breath in and out and put on my bravest face. "Then we better get going," I announced surprised my voice didn't crack, "long walk back."

I obviously had not fooled Peter completely. He must have seen through my brave facade because he cupped my chin in his hands then forced me to look him in the eyes, "We are going to be OK," he said slowly, "I would never let anything hurt you." It was sweet of him to try to comfort me, I knew that _we_ would be fine though. I could keep us alive in the woods with only the supplies we had now for months, that much I was sure of. It was my two dear friends, who were lost and roaming that put a pit in the bottom of my stomach. A terrible feeling of dread I just couldn't shake.

"Thanks Peter," I said glumly, "We should probably start back, we're going to have to find a decent spot to camp out tonight. We also don't have food so I'll have to go and hunt, that shouldn't be a problem plenty of game in the area."

"That sounds good. I know plenty about plants, so while you hunt I can go and gather us some nuts and berries."

"That will make a nice meal, thanks Peter. Meat taste terrible if you don't have any herbs to flavor it with."

"Great," he said heading off to the path we came in on. It was right around the line of bushes, or it was supposed to be. I spun around and saw eight different rows of bushes all that looked identical to the next. Each one had a path that looked just like the other, the same rocky dirt road we came in on next to a holy bush. I turned around in circles rapidly blinking my eyes trying to clear away this illusion, it couldn't be reality it just wasn't possible.

"Peter," I said grabbing at his arm. He looked less worried then me just dumbfounded. His face resolved quickly and turned into a more inquisitive look. He was deep in thought. "What are you thinking about?" I asked, desperate for some answer that could help me make sense of this crazy situation.

"No, it can't be," he muttered to himself so low that anybody nearby couldn't hear. "Emma," he said turning to me, "Look at what your seeing." I glanced again and the same undoubtedly identical eight paths that still circled us.

It wasn't making sense, "Eight paths is all I see."

"OK, and remember when you said you heard the voice. The voice spoke of a prophecy, did it not?"

"Of course, I will never forget it. The voice called me the chosen one and said that there would come a day when I would be needed to save the people of it's world."

"Do you remember what else it said?" he pressed.

"Um, something about fates loom, door ways, deceivers and-" my jaw dropped when it hit me like a person experiencing daylight for the first time. It made my head spin, "And choices. It spoke of choices I would have to make, I think I'm starting to understand what your getting at. But could it really be? All this time I had wrote off the voice as a figment of my imagination."

"And, I have one other theory," he said gazing off into the distance. "There is this poem my mother always used to recite to me as a child, that was before she passed away." I could tell that it caused him pain to think of her, it reflected in his eyes. "She always used to tell me that an angel descended from heaven to deliver it to her the day before I was born. She said his voice was so perfect it made her want to weep." He eyed me meaningfully and I could tell where this was going. "Do you think it could have been the same voice you heard?" I started to answer but he cut me off, "Wait, before you answer that I need to tell you the poem. Now it is your turn to be open minded and listen. Do you promise to try?"

"Of course," I answered without hesitation.

"Then here it goes:

_Eight paths, all the same just different routes that lead to the same house,_

_Seven windows, all the same shape but different views, be wise the one you choose,_

_Five escapes, all for the same purpose, but not all safe,_

_Four people, two and two, be wise, one will not do,_

_Two weapons, given to you, remember what she instruct you,_

_One will feel lust, and the other hate, the deceiver is there, don't let ignorance become late,_

_Three friends, one fate, intertwined through unworldly gates,_

_Through the gates the chosen one and prince will go to fight in the final race."_

He finished the poem looking at the sun, it was beginning to fall lower in the sky. "So, _eight paths, all the same just different routes that lead to the same house_. Not to mention it speaks of the _chosen one_. Thats got to mean something, doesn't it?"

"Peter," I said in awe, "How did you think of that so quickly? It's unbelievable. You never cease to amaze me," I said in admiration. "It is plausible, look at where we are now," I said motioning to the eight twin paths. "We can't stand here forever, but what should we do?"

I remember the voice telling me that none of my decisions would be wrong, but how could that be? Was there not a right and wrong side to everything?

"I'm not sure what we should do, but I believe in you," he said sincerely. You should have more belief in yourself, you don't allow yourself enough credit. If you want my opinion though, I would say just go with your instinct. One way or another, if the poem holds true, then we should reach this _house_ no matter which way we choose. So come on Emma, just pick one."

"It makes since if you put it like that," I admitted. I excel at making most decisions way harder then they need to be. Go with my instinct, I repeated Peter's advice to myself. I faced the path closest to me, it felt strange. Like that particular path was setting off a subtle alarm in my head. Very obviously my instinct decided for me, we would not be taking that path.

I heard some strange popping and cracking behind me, then I felt the first wave of heat shake me like an earthquake.

"Peter," I said panting for air because it was already becoming thick with smoke, "I think that our time is up and here's the plan-" I didn't get to finish. Before I could say the word Peter took off running by me as fast as his legs could carry him to the closet exit from this furnace. I took off after him onto the path that led into the endless woods.


	5. Chapter 5

5.__________

We didn't slow down until I felt that every last bit of energy I could give was gone. I grabbed Peter's shoulder for support, I felt him sag under the light weight of my hand. "Peter we need to take a break," my voice was ragged from the rigorous sprinting. "I think we're safe for now." I glanced over my shoulder just to be safe, "I don't see any smoke so I'm sure the fire has subsided. Not to mention it's getting dark. It would be easy to wander off the path at night so I think we should stop here, this is as good as any place to camp." It was really more than just a good place to camp, it was the ideal camping spot. A few feet of the road there was a enormous evergreen tree thats branches hung low to the ground making a small shelter. Under it I was sure there would be a decent sized space we could sleep in. At least it would give us a roof over our heads and some cover from the predators of the night. Thinking of wolves, bears and wild dogs roaming about tonight with us sent a spasm of fear up my spine. Then a few feet past the tree deeper into the woods, I saw a stream that was silently trickling down a gentle slope. It looked clear, I was sure it would be fine for us to drink and I was parched.

"I need to get some water before we do anything," I said heading to the stream. Peter was following, I could here him crack every twig possible under his feet. I reminded myself not to let him join me when I went hunting. He would scare off any game within a mile. The stream looked glorious, I knew it would taste like heaven after the day I'd had. When I got to the bank I knelt down and scooped up some water into my hand raising it to my mouth. The liquid doused the burning flames that seared up my throat and washed the taste of smoke out of my mouth. It automatically brightened my senses making me a thousand times more aware. I had not realized how dehydrated I had let myself become. With such a pleasant cool day it was easy to forget to drink. I knew it was a potentially fatal mistake, I noted to myself not to let it happen again. After I finally had enough to quench my thirst I looked over at Peter. He was washing the layer of ash of his face, it seemed like a good idea to clean up. I felt gross, my clothes probably looked hideous. Unfortunately, that was the least of my problems now.

The water felt wonderful, it was nice to feel clean again. When I was finishing washing I noticed Peter had moved to sit under a rather large oak tree. I walked over to join him, my legs were begging for me to give them a break. I sat down close to him, our shoulders and hips were touching. Both our heads were laid back resting on the massive tree trunk.

I sighed, "It feels great to have a break, I don't think I could move another ten steps if I tried."

He laughed half-heartedly, "Good thing because I couldn't even make it that far. Today has been exhausting." That was an understatement.

We both sat looking over the crystalline brook to the dark forest beyond. It didn't look beautiful to me as it normally did. It looked dangerous. How many people had become hopelessly lost like us in the past? How many lives had this place snatched away? To many, that I was was sure of. I wanted more than anything to curl up beside Peter and fall away from this place. It would be nice to have a couple hours of tranquility.

I hauled myself up, then stumbled. Sheer drowsiness was making me weak.

"Peter, we need to go ahead and set up camp," I said turning around to face him. "Come on, I might need some help.

He huffed a sigh of regret and then slowly made his way over to join me. Once he did we headed back to the main road. It was nice to see something familiar. I walked over to where I had set down the bag and picked it up. It must have weighed a ton, the pack was so heavy that I almost dropped it on my foot.

"Wow," Peter exclaimed, "I thought you were tired but..." He didn't finish what he was saying but I knew exactly what he was thinking. Something along the lines of: _I thought you were tired but that's just pathetic_. He came over to grab the bag for me, it was embarrassing that I couldn't lift it myself.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"No problem," he said reaching down to put his hand on the bag. With a grunt he heaved it up and into his arms. His looked strained from the effort.

"See what I mean?" Maybe I wasn't going crazy, it was heavier than normal.

"Yeah, what did you put in here? Rocks?" He asked setting it back down.

"No, just my water canteen, a flint, bandages and my bow and arrow." He bent down and lifted back the lid, his face lit up in shock.

He pulled out a loaf of steaming bread, "So what's this?" he asked me. Like I knew any better than he did. I moved over to look down into the bag, to my further surprise there was not only bread but strips of dried meet and enough arrows that I could have a full quiver. There was a small slip of paper on top of it all, a note.

I knew who it was from before I picked it up, and began to read it to Peter. _"Daughter of David, the time has come. The choices will be tough but you are tougher. We are waiting on you here. Please remember that just as we have helped you, others can harm you. Take care, you have a good friend make sure to keep him close,"_ with that the note came to a close.

"Wow, that's a lot to think about isn't it?"

"You have no idea. How about we get a fire started so we don't freeze, it's going to get cold fast. If you will grab the twigs I'll make the fire pit. Remember only to go looking for twigs as far as you can see the camp. We can't get lost out here, it would be a fatal mistake."

Finishing with that I went off to find some rocks to make a fire pit with, there would be some down by the stream. I headed over to it and heard Peter tromping off in the other direction. We did not have to worry about stealth, Peter had blown away our chances of secrecy like a typhoon wind. Anyone in the area surely knew where we were located by now.

My lips were dry and cracked so I bent down to take a sip of the pristine ice cold water. It flowed into my mouth making my teeth ache from the cold.

My job was simple, there were many decent sized stones scattered around. I picked up six or seven from the bank and balanced them in my arms so I could head back to the road. Peter had gotten back before me and arranged his twigs into the shape of a teepee. That would make it easy to light the fire. On the inside he had stuffed flammable tinder that would catch the spark. I walked over and placed the stones around the edges to contain our fire.

"Peter, could you grab the flint out of the bag?" I asked.

"Sure," he said, walking over to the pack. He reached in and pulled out the two dull black stones and handed them to me.

"Thanks," I said bending down on one knee so I could start the flame. I placed one stone firmly is my palm and scraped the other sharply against it. The first six times nothing happened but on the seventh scrape a shower of sparks shed down upon the dry leaves. One of the leaves caught and turned a bright orange before being consumed by the flames. This caught three or four others and then a pillar of smoke curled upwards. I knew it would eventually catch enough to get started.

"I piled some extra twigs up over there," Peter said motioning to a pile under a close by tree. "That way we can have the fire last through the night, we will probably want to have watches. Whoever is awake can tend to the flame when necessary."

"Good idea, it also will keep any wild predators away," the blood rushed from his face at the thought of animals. "Peter, it's going to be okay," I promised. As long as I had my bow and arrow I knew that we would be taken care of. "Let's spread out the blanket, that way we don't have to sleep on the ground."

"Sure, I'll grab some handfuls of grass to stick under it that way it won't be hard. My legs hurt bad enough from riding, I don't think a sore back would do me any good."

Peter walked off to gather some grass and weeds to place under our blanket. He was extremely resourceful, making a mattress was something I never would have thought of. I appreciated his company way more then he knew.

The fire was blazing, it cast a warm light over our camp. Watching the gold, orange and red flames weave an intricate dance around the tinder was fascinating. It held my attention captive until I noticed Peter coming, he was still a good distance off. He was probably starved like me so I went ahead and laid out our meal of bread. The loaf was about a foot long and obviously very thick. The bread seemed to weigh a ton. After I set it down on a rock I went to grab Peter's knife out of our pack. As I did Peter came up behind me with a mountain of reeds and grass piled up high in his arms. I wondered how he had avoided running into a tree when the pile very clearly blocked his vision, just another one of his talents I guessed.

"Where do you want it?" he asked.

"Just set them down by the edge of the fire and I'll come over with the blanket to cover them up. Thanks."

"Sure, it's no problem. Trust me, I want them just as much as you do." I laughed. Peter was always so honest about things. He never tried to turn a situation to his advantage if he could help it. Of course, he had slipped a couple times. For example, the surprise start to our second race, but that was all in good fun. He never would do something seriously harmful to another human being if there was anything within his power to prevent it. I admired his sense of righteousness that I considerably lacked.

He walked over to the fire and placed the grass a safe distance away. I grabbed the blanket to cover up the grass with before it could blow away. Once the blanket was down we had yet another problem, the grass wouldn't stay under it. I wondered what Peter was doing when I saw him turn and head in the other direction. He came back carrying several heavy rocks and tucked them under the corners. This did the trick and I was sure that the grass would be safely contained.

"Thanks, your always so resourceful," I hoped he could tell I meant it. He cast me into a state of awe frequently. I wondered when I would start expecting these things.

"Thats nice of you to say. Guess I'm a natural with more than just horses." He was smiling but not out of arrogance. He just looked truly happy to be here now which was hard to believe considering the circumstances. I couldn't imagine how miserable my life would be now if Jonathan had come with me. I could hardly stand having a complete conversation with him, there was no way I would have made it through a whole morning with that obnoxious fool.

"Would you mind if we went ahead and ate? Thanks for laying out the food," he said reaching for the knife I forgot I still had in my hand. Although I knew he was just grabbing the knife when his skin brushed against mine it started to tingle. Like an electric current had shot through my veins. "How much bread do you want?" he asked me.

"A slice is good, we really need to ration this. If I can't find any game tomorrow this is all we have." With that he cut off two slices, one for me and one for him. I sat down on the blanket next to him and took a bite. The bread was delicious, filled with exotic nuts and berries. I had never tasted anything like it, I wondered what the name of the fruit was. It was an amazing flavor, almost bitter-sweet. Peter looked as if he was enjoying it too.

"This is delicious, Peter I don't even think your best pastry could rival this."

I looked at him wondering why he didn't respond. To my shock he laid sprawled out asleep on our make shift mattress. How I didn't feel him shake the bed as he laid down was nothing short of a miracle. I think Peter is a nice guy but he has the grace of an elephant.

"First watch."

I walked away to find a spot that I could watch over the camp from. There was a sturdy looking tree by Peter that I decided would be perfect. It even had a low branch I could use as a step stool. I placed my foot on it and felt it shudder under my weight. I scurried up the tree lodging myself in the arms of two large branches. My body fit in perfectly, it seemed like the spot had been designed for me to lounge. How else could sitting in a tree be this relaxing? My head rested on a patch of leaves and then I looked down at Peter. He tossed from left to right for a couple minutes and finally settled down.

I had a perfect hole in the leaves to watch through. It was a gorgeous night, thousands of stars twinkled in the black sky like fairy dust. I also could smell the smoke from the campfire, it had a calming affect on me. It was a reminder that I wasn't in this alone. Peter was here with me and that was all that mattered.

It seemed strange looking back on my hectic day, this morning my biggest problem had been what I would wear for the day. Now I was worrying about what might like to have us as a midnight snack. My previous problems seemed petty, like the smallest pebble compared to the massive boulder that threatened to crush me now. Peter knew things about me that I had never told anybody my whole life. Poor Peter, I had put a massive burden upon him. We are now part of a race, if the poem he told me was true. It said we would face eight paths and we did. The wild fire had blazed behind us forcing us onto the closet pathway. The first line of the poem didn't mention that but it was close, the second was a house.

I was bewildered that my life had taken such a sharp turn. In a day I had gone from being the _the lords daughter_, never referred to by name, into something so unique, so different. I was the _The Daughter of David_. The proof was incontestable. Two times now an unworldly force had communicated with me. I had tangible evidence in my pack, the note.

To the far right of the clearing something ruffled the bushes. I stopped thinking and automatically shot my gaze their way. My heart was pounding. My breaths were short and shallow. I kicked myself for not bringing my bow up here. All I could do was yell my warning to Peter if something were to spring out and attack. It made me feel helpless knowing that was the only protection I could offer. Listening carefully all my senses fast on the draw, ready to react in an instant if anything should happen. I stayed poised for what felt like an eternity. Finally, I allowed myself to relax again.

Obviously, whatever had been in the bushes had left or at least did not intend us any harm. Surely by now they would have sprung, I rationalized with myself. Something mumbled from below, Peter must be talking in his sleep.

I listened carefully to see if I could catch any of the words he was saying. It was all a mess of jumbled words for the most part, but then I heard something that filled me with a hope so strong I couldn't help but smile.

"Emma," I made out through the slur of words, "Emma, I..." He never finished but I had an idea of what he might have said. Three words I help myself from wanting to hear.


	6. Chapter 6

6._____________

I woke up with a start. My heart started to race and my palms were sweaty.

"Just a nightmare... Just a nightmare..." I repeated to myself.

I looked at the sun rising in the sky, it was a gorgeous array of pink and orange. It looked like it had come out of the art studio at home.

It irked me that I had failed as a watchmen. My spot in the tree remarkably enough, was still genuinely cozy. Who would have though a tree could feel so nice?

I knew that we needed to get packed up. We may as well continue to follow the path, it was the only guide we had.

Crawling carefully out of the tree I landed with a light thud next to Peter, he was sound asleep. He looked like he could really use the rest so I decided to pack up camp and get breakfast ready before I woke him.

First, I went to get our skin of water and take it down to the stream. I saw the cool water sluggishly moving along. Getting on my knees I washed off my face. The icy water woke me up with a jolt. No longer was I the least bit drowsy. We were about to leave and not knowing how long it would be until we stumbled upon more water I finished washing the rest of my body. Even dipping my hair under for a little. Being clean made me feel great. With a full skin and a clean face I headed back in high spirits.

Embers from the fire were smoldering in the ring of stones. I poured some water over them to douse the small flames still left. It gave a final puff of smoke as the water plummeted down upon it and then was no more.

I brought the water back to the sack and took out the bread from last night. It looked fabulous, we still had over half the loaf left. I sliced off two pieces and brought them over to where Peter was lying.

I gently shook his shoulder, "Come on, wake up."

He picked up his head, "My watch," he muttered groggily.

"Actually, it's time we head off. I fell asleep in a tree when I was on watch. I know there was no reason for it. So what I'm saying is I'm really sorry, it won't happen again I-"

"Don't worry about it," Peter cut off my rambling apologies. He stood up and placed his hand on my shoulder, "Emma, that is the least of my problems. Thank you for apologizing but don't beat yourself up over a slight mistake."

My heart was fluttering like the wings of a humming bird. His touch seemed to mess with my head.

"But to make sure we don't have any sleeping watchmen tonight, I'll go first." He smiled, "Can't have any wolves snacking away can we?"

He chuckled to himself and picked up the blanket. There was grass caught on the back of it so he swung it at a tree trunk until it had all came off. Then he folded it up and placed it in the pack, which he slung over his shoulder. He ambled off to the path and started walking, I took that as our cue to leave.

Jogging to catch up with him I wondered about where we were going. The path stretched ahead for a few feet then turned right. After that it continued to twist and turn for a while, I decided talking would be a decent way to pass the time.

"Peter, I don't know if it's just me but do you feel like you might be going crazy? I am questioning my sanity frequently," the matter of fact way I said it made him him chuckle.

"If you think your insane than what does that make me? I followed some crazy girl out in the woods on a morning adventure and now don't know if I'll ever see home again. So if you want my opinion then I don't think your any crazier then I."

"Thanks, that makes me feel a little better. I wonder what that poem is all about... Do you think it could really be the prophecy?"

"Of course I think it could be the prophecy. My mother told me that it was recited by an angelic voice that couldn't have come from our Earth, very similar to the story you told me. Then we got even more evidence when a bag showed up giving us what we needed most. The thing even wrote a note referring to you as the _Daughter of David_. Nothing has gave me reason yet to believe our theory is false."

"True, the poem seems to be very accurate so far."

The path we were walking upon turned another corner and we came upon a small path that led through the tree line into an open field.

"May as well keep on following the path, it look likes it continues in the open."

Peter nodded his head in agreement and we headed off a little farther down the path until we were in the field.

I blinked my eyes trying to adjust to the sunlight, it felt blinding. When my vision returned to me what I saw made me gasp in excitement. This was it. Nothing to worry about.

Peter realized before me, "We're home."


	7. Chapter 7

**8.____________**

I opened up my eyes and was blinded, it felt like the sun was looking me straight in the eye.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a very loud voice announced. "Contestants five and six have just arrived, please give them a round of applause." The person seemed genuinely excited that we had arrived and I could hear the sound of many clapping hands.

"Quite a change from last years Earthlings, don't you agree?" This sent the crowd into a fit of laughter. What was funny?

The light was still drilling into my face so I held up my free hand over my eyes to block it.

"Shut the spotlights, give the kids a break. They don't even know what electricity is yet," an unfamiliar voice said. Then all of a sudden the world seemed to black out. I squeezed Peter's hand for comfort, this was all confusing.

"Where are we?" I asked to no one in particular. Slowly my vision was coming back to me, I could at least see blurry shapes now.

"Come this way and I will explain," a young man's voice said. "Are you OK? The lights are very hard for most of your kind to deal with at first."

He seemed concerned, "Um... I actually can't see anything right now, sorry."

"Don't worry," he reassured me. "This is completely normal, here," he swept me off my feet and into his arms. "I'll carry you and it won't be a problem."

"Peter..."

"Don't worry about him, he will be waiting for you in your room."

I simply accepted that I was going wherever this man planned on taking me, there was not enough energy left in my body to worry. If he meant me harm I'm sure he would have acted by now. The swaying motion of his steps lulled me into a dreamy state. How long had it been since I had last slept? It couldn't hurt if...

***

I kept my eyes closed savoring the moment, nothing had felt this good in my life. My mind and body were fully rested. I opened up my eyes to see that I was laying on a plain white bed in a room with deep brown walls. The floor was a made of some strange shiny material I couldn't recognize.

Peter! The memories of everything that had happened came crashing down on me, where was Peter? Was he OK?

I swung my legs over the bed and looked around the room. It was rather small with a dresser to my right that had my pack sitting on top of it. To my left there was a comfy white sofa.

My stomach growled, I was starved. But where was I supposed to go? I looked down at my clothes and noticed that I was no longer wearing my green tunic and riding breeches. Now I was clad in a simple green dress, it had a scoop neck. The silky material clung loosely to my frame, I also had on strange gold leggings. By my bed were a pair of green sandals that I slid on.

My hair felt like a rats nest, where was a mirror? I really needed to see how I looked, I felt atrocious.

Then I noticed that there were two doors in my room, I walked over to the first and swung it open. It led into a small pale yellow room with a huge mirror hung above a long white stone counter. I looked at the counter studying a strange bowl that curved into the flat surface. It had two knobs by it, one said _hot_ and the other said _cold_. In between the two knobs was a small piece of pipe that craned over the edge of the bowl. _Why did you need door knobs on a counter?_ Maybe they opened up some drawer. Curiosity got the best of me and I turned the one that said _hot_ around once.

"Damn it," I jumped in surprise.

What the heck was happening, steaming water was pouring out the pipe into the bowl. I must have broke something, _already_. This was the first thing I had touched and already I was reeking havoc. My nerves were working up and I knew help was needed fast. This place would flood if I didn't do something.

"Help!" I screamed, "Somebody help me!"

I heard foot steps sprinting towards the room. The door was flung open and the same boy who carried me to this place came in looking panic stricken.

"What is it? Are you hurt?" he asked looking around anxiously for the source of danger.

Tears began to form in my eyes, "I'm so sorry," I blubbered. "I didn't mean to do it..."

"Do what?" he asked looking confused.

"I didn't mean to break it," I said, now officially crying. Tears were cascading down my cheeks.

"Break what?" he asked kindly.

"That thing," I stammered pointing to the waterfall I had created.

He chuckled walking over to the flood, "This is a sink," he explained. "Come here."

I walked over, he took my hand and placed it on a knob, "See all you do is turn it like this," he said guiding my hand, "And poof, the water will vanish."

He wiped the tears from my cheek with his finger, "See, nothing to worry about." His voice was soothing and it calmed me down. Nodding my head I tried to show him it would be okay. Now was the first time I had been able to get a good look at him, and _wow._

He was a good two heads taller than me with very dark skin. He was lean but still had a athletic look about him. His hair looked black as night similar to his eyes. His eyes... They were like two coal black gemstones, shining. I felt like I could become lost drifting in their gaze.

He snapped me out of my fog, "What's your name?"

I suddenly couldn't remember anything, my heart was fluttering and my mind had frozen up. "Um..." I mumbled like an idiot.

"Your name?" he patiently asked again.

"Emma," I laughed nervously, "And you?"

"Call me Seth."

"Okay, Seth it is." My stomach was rumbling, it felt rude to ask for food, thankfully I did not have to.

"You must be starved, sorry I didn't get here earlier. I wish I had been there when you woke up to help answer your questions, but better late than never. I will be around to answer your questions and help you through your problems."

For some reason this immediately made me feel much safer knowing that he would be there to support me.

"I'm sure this is all very confusing, you can ask me anything but first lets head down to get some food. Your hungry right? I mean if you want to stay-"

I didn't let him finish the sentence, "No, I'm starving. Food sounds great." I smiled, trying not to seem rude.

"Ok then, follow me," he said walking through the door into the bedroom. He waited on me holding open the next door that led out, "Thanks," I muttered walking through.

"No problem," he said. "When you are ready for your meal go all the way down this hallway," he said pointing to the right, "And the dining room will be the last door on the left. I'll meet you there, first I need to go change. You startled me screaming like that this morning," he chuckled. "I thought that you were about to be murdered." At least he was smiling, I was glad there were no hard feelings over that episode. "See you in a few," he said walking in the other direction.

My hair defiantly needed some work but my stomach said otherwise. I decided to quickly unbraid my messy hair and stick it in a loose bun. There would be time later to fix it I hoped.

I made my way past countless doors, finally I had reached the end of the hall. How could people know which door was which? They all looked exactly the same to me. Every door was solid white with a golden knob. In between every third or fourth door there was a painting. The paintings were the only things that varied down the hall.

I looked to the left and saw another one of the same white doors. Seth had said _all the way down the hallway then go to the last door on the left._ This must be it, I opened the door and stepped through.

The smell wasn't nearly as appetizing as Peter's bakery was. There was hardly any scent of food at all. I looked around and saw that there were two other groups of three people eating at some of the tables. The room was made of stone walls that set up a pleasant atmosphere. There was even a tiny fire place, popping vibrantly with life, in the corner. A few couches were scattered around it. I went to the closet one and took a seat while I waited on Seth and Peter.

I wondered what Peter had been doing, knowing him he would be starving too. This made me smile, Peter must have an endless abyss for a stomach. He could eat for hours on end if his dad would allow it.

The door to the dining hall swung open and a rush of excitement burst through me. It felt like I hadn't seen Peter in years rather than just one day.

"Hey Emma!" Peter exclaimed when he came through the door.

I jumped out of my seat and ran over to him, his arms were open and I leaned into his warm embrace.

"Peter, this is all so strange. Are you all right? Are you hurt? How did you-"

Peter pressed his lips lightly against mine stopping my rambling questions. This sent my pulse racing, I was sure blood had rushed to my cheeks.

"Emma," he whispered in my ear, "Your here with me, somehow I think I'm going to survive."

My face lit up smiling, "So," I said teasing, "Are you as hungry as I think you are? I'm sure we could have a full cow brought out for your breakfast."

"That actually doesn't sound to bad," he said pulling me along by the hand to a couch. He sat down on the edge of a black sofa directly in front of the fire. The heat waves rolling off it were comforting. He pulled me down next to him and I rested my head on his shoulder. We sat in silence, enjoying each others company. I hardly noticed when Seth came through the door.

"Peter, you've met Seth right?"

"No, I haven't, but I'm guessing you have. Somehow that doesn't surprise me," he muttered under his breath.

I let that go, "Hey Seth, over here," I called out.

"You got here fast, come with me and we can go get something to eat," he said to me.

"Come on Peter, I know your starved," I said pulling him up by the hand.

We followed Seth out the door and he went to the door straight across the hall, opening it for us.

"This is where you get your food," he explained, again it felt like he was directing this only to me. "Once you get your food you take it across the hall."

"So do we come here for every meal?" I asked.

"Most meals you will but on formal occasions we dine in the ball room."

I watched him go up to a strange metal box that held a colorful array of buttons on it. There were six or seven identical ones down the wall beside him.

"Come watch, this is how you will order your food."

I walked over and stood by him to see what he had to show us.

"Look at each button," he paused letting us take in what we saw. "There is a different breakfast foods name printed on each green button. Press the one that says the name of the food you would like. Same with the red buttons, but they are for the drinks."

"What about the blue and orange buttons?" Peter asked.

"Good question, the blue buttons are for lunch foods and the orange are for dinner.

This was unbelievable, I watched him press the green button that said _french toast _and another green button that said_ pineapple_. Moments later he opened up a cabinet below the box with the food choices. Sitting inside it was a strange looking bowl of yellow cubes and a plate with two pieces of steaming brown bread. How was that physically possible for food to be prepared so fast?

"_Whoa, _how did they cook your food that fast?" Peter asked taking the words right out of my mouth.

"Somethings none of us are ever going to understand, sorry. I don't know everything but I will try to answer what I can," he smiled apologetically. "Now it's your turn," he said pointing at the food devices. "You can always eat as much or little as you would like."

Peter's face lit up with that piece of information. Seth had no idea what he was agreeing to, Peter could clean out a kitchen in a matter of minutes. He went to the food thing on the right and I went to the one straight in front of me that Seth had ordered his meal from.

"What are these things called?" I asked Seth.

"Oh, sorry I should have told you. These are called fast-food-boxes. Everything is freshly made with no preservatives, most of it is very nutritional."

I barely heard what he said, I was overwhelmed by the choice of what to eat. Everything sounded fantastic, there were pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, biscuits, summer sausage, and some things that I had never heard of before. What was _eggs benedict_ or _pop-tarts? _I noted to myself that later on I should ask him. Everything looked amazing, my stomach felt like it could go through every dish twice. To start I decided that I would have eggs and a mug of coffee. Coffee was a delicacy at home, it was hard to believe that I could have as much as I wanted now.

I lightly pressed my finger against the buttons with the food that I wanted. Could it really be that simple?

"Good Emma, now just open up the box below the buttons," Seth instructed.

I did as he asked and pulled on the handle. The box opened up and inside was a decent sized plate of steamy eggs and a mug of coffee.

"If you want cream or sugar," Seth said, "Press the _cream_ or _sugar_ button and place your coffee back inside the box, then shut the door. Then open it back up and whichever you asked for will be mixed in."

"Thanks," I said amazed at this technology, "But I'll drink it black."

"Sure, it's whatever you want. There are trays stacked up in the corner for you to carry your food back with."

He looked past me to Peter, "Um... Peter... Exactly how much food _did_ you get?"

I looked at Peter's tray and almost fell on the ground laughing, "Peter, need help carrying that mountain back?" I teased.

This didn't seem to bother him in the least, "Nope," he grinned looking down at his tray. "But this is getting heavy so if you wouldn't mind lets head back."

My mouth was watering from the delicious aroma the coffee gave off. "Good idea, this food looks wonderful."

Seth held the door for us when we went to the other room. Peter looked irritated that he couldn't get it himself... strange. He almost looked jealous. l let it go sitting down at a table that was as far away from the other people possible. They were staring at us, _why?_ Who were they? They acted like they knew us and I had a strange feeling it was not the way we wanted.

Peter sat down first and I choose the chair closest to him. He dropped his tray on the table and shook his arms out.

"That's hard work carrying that much food, made my arms hurt." He obviously didn't care to much from the look of pure delight he had sitting down. Seth took the chair across from us both.

"Lets eat, then talk," Seth suggested.

We didn't respond, all you could hear was the sound of forks scraping against plates. Finally after my stomach was full of eggs, leaning back in my chair I sipped my coffee. It was delicious, by far the best drink I had ever tasted. Peter must have shoveled down his food because he was sipping on his drink too.

"Before we start talking, do you care if we move over to a couch?" I asked.

"Sounds good," Seth said, "It could be a while if your like any of the others."

What did he mean, _the others?_ I decided to ask when we sat down. Peter stood up and walked over dragging me along.

"Sit here," Peter said patting a spot on the couch right beside him. Strangely, it was thrilling that he wanted to be near me. I sat down next to him and without looking at me he wove his fingers through mine.

"Ask away, I am here to answer any of your questions that I can."

"Well, this all is terribly confusing. Could you just tell us the _basics_ first?"

"Sure, lets see if I can put it in a nutshell."

That sounded good, maybe he could help me understand some of this.

"To begin with, you are no longer on Earth. This planet is called _Fantasy _when it's name is translated to your tongue. That is because many of our entertainment shows are filmed here and most are not realistic, hence the name _Fantasy_. Right now, you two are about to compete on a show called _The Final Race._ The name sounds bad but nobody has to die. There have been seasons where three or four contestants walked away."

_Was this supposed to be comforting? _It sounded like bad statistics to me.

"_The Final Race_, is a basically a game-show." Seth continued, "Five teams of two are selected, you already made it past the first task of getting here. Some groups don't even make it that far. One year every team died before they reached the gate to our world, the show got terrible ratings that year. They made it easier to get here so that would not happen again. It is always good to get here earlier than the other teams. You might remember from when you came in the announcer, Jerry Springfeild, said that you were the fifth and sixth contestants. This means that you have more time to train then the teams that are yet to arrive, that's because training for the race starts as soon as you arrive and ends when the last contestants come in. Julia will be your trainer, her goal is to physically prepare you for what lays ahead. I am supposed to be here to answer all of your questions, a mentor. We are both here for you, feel free to speak with us whenever you would like."

"Do we have to compete if we don't wish to?" Peter asked.

"Yes, all chosen contestants must compete, unfortunately the game committee will kill you if you try to escape."

"So there is really no hope," this was a depressing thought. What is the point of playing if you can't win? Why couldn't we just go home?

"No, Emma there is always hope," he with such convection I knew it must be true.

"Never, no matter what happens, never give up. The game is beatable, many in the past have survived. You can too, Peter and Emma. It will be hard, I can promise that. The journey will be long and some things will become lost. But never give up," he whispered intensely.

"I don't know what to do, this is overwhelming. Will life just go back to normal when we get home?"

"Life will never be normal, you two must understand that by now."

"Yeah, guess we better get used to it, right?" Peter asked to nobody in particular.

"Yes may as well get used to it starting now, we will have time to continue this conversation tonight. You two need to meet your trainer, Julia. She will work with you for a couple hours a day teaching you the basics of what you will need to know. Survival-one-oh-one you could say."

"Survival," the word tasted bad in my mouth.

"Well, I finally got the girl of my dreams so survival it is. Can't die now can I?" Peter asked me chuckling.

Whoa, how could I be the girl of his dreams? I thought I was lucky to get him, was the feeling mutual?

"Time to go," Seth said seeming aggravated again. Could he be? No why would he...

"This way," he called opening the door for us. "I'll introduce you to Julia, but then I have to leave. There are a couple errands I need to run. Sorry I can't stay, but I will make sure to answer your questions later. Julia is a very knowledgeable, she can answer your questions as good or better than I."

We came up to one of the hundred white doors alining the hallway. Seth seemed to know which door we were going to.

"Just go through that door," he said gesturing to the one in front of us. "Julia will take care of you from there." He smiled smugly, "Good luck, you've made it this far don't give up now."

With that Seth spun on his heels strolling away.

"Guess we should go in," Peter said uncertainly.

"Nowhere else to go, so we may as well," shockingly enough my voice didn't convey the butterflies in my stomach that were threatening to send my breakfast out the way it came in.

"Lets get this over with," I said taking a deep breath, preparing myself for the worst. How bad could this _Julia_ be anyways? Looks have never intimidated me before, this lady was not about to change that.

To my surprise the door swung open before me. A young lady of average hight and slim build stood in it's frame, she couldn't have been more than sixteen years old. Where was Julia? This girl was way to young to be teaching anything. Her chocolate hair was pulled back neatly from her face displaying her fine proportionate features. She had the same chocolate toned eyes, they complemented her brown jacket and shorts nicely. She was beautiful in a simple sense.

"We are here to see the trainer, Julia. Do you know where she is?"

"Of course," the girl answered in a high clear voice, "How do you do?"


End file.
